Pointing devices including joysticks are known in the art. Traditional joysticks have been used primarily as a gaming controller, although they have also been employed as general mouse replacement devices. In a typical application, the joystick pointing device is connected via cables to a microcontroller of a computer with a display and a keyboard. The traditional joystick has many moving parts, and the size of the mechanism therein prohibits its use in many applications, including remote controls, keyboards, and notebooks. On the other hand, joysticks have the advantages of reliability and performance.
Recent developments have produced joysticks of fewer moving parts and miniaturized joysticks suitable for integration in many types of devices. These improved joysticks, however, still have multiple components and moving parts. The prior joysticks are complex and difficult to manufacture.